While strolling through my local Target today I noticed quite a few folks who weren’t exactly happy. It started with the pharmacy tech who is just so unhappy with her job and the fact that Target has cut her hours it makes me unhappy when I visit. On top of that I saw not one but three different couples who were in full sniping mode. Kids were fussing at moms; moms were yelling at kids. Jeesh, I was almost sorry I went out for a bit of retail therapy. I kept smiling at people as I passed by and I got nothing. Nothing. No smiles, just grumpiness.
I wondered why I encountered so much grumpiness. One can always blame the economy and the fact that gas in our town shot up over 30 cents a gallon overnight (supply and demand my patootie). That might have caused a tweak of the grump scale.
While in the grocery store I listened to the cashier complain to the guy bagging my groceries about how everyone takes a break and she is always left longer at the checkout. Note to management: time to counsel the employees on what not to discuss in front of customers. Grumble, grumble, grumble.
Maybe it’s because the holidays have come to a close and now it’s time to take down the decorations and pay off those credit card bills. If you listen to the news reports, retail sales were waaaaay down this year. I’m thinking not too many families went deep into debt for Christmas this year with the potential for job downsizing hanging over their heads. My area of the country is being hit very hard with the GM plant closing and DHL closing — thousands of jobs are just gone. I guess that’s enough to make someone unhappy and grumpy.
But ya know what? Crap happens. That’s why those of us who always see the glass half full know to get up, dust off, and get back in the game. Hey – I decided to retire and the economy tanked, Wall Street tanked, my retirement accounts and 401(k) accounts dwindled and I’m still smiling. Okay, I’m not grinning like a Cheshire cat, but I can still find things to smile about.
I enjoy playing card games on my computer. When a game isn’t going well, I have the option of hitting a reset button which replays that particular move and I get to make a different decision. It’s the same thing with one’s attitude – if you’re being grumpy, hit your internal reset button and put a smile on your face instead. Just the act of smiling will make you feel better. And if you smile at me, then I’ll feel better, and so on, and so on…
